A deleted scene from Frozen II hints Elsa inherited her powers from Queen Iduna. 2013’s Frozen killed off Elsa and Anna’s mother and father, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna, rather quickly. The audience wouldn’t learn much more about them or their backstory until 2019’s Frozen II, which delved further into Elsa’s icy abilities. However, a deleted flashback sequence including Iduna reveals a lot more about her and Elsa’s powers than meets the eye. 

In a research and development test scene released for Frozen II, a young Iduna and Agnarr are playing hide and seek in the forest; Gail the (invisible) playful spirit is also present. Gail seems to especially enjoy teasing Agnarr, who’s far more flustered by Gail’s antics than Iduna is. In fact, Iduna is fairly comfortable with Gail, remaining upright and poised when the spirit lifts her and Agnarr into the air before setting them down. She’s rather amused by Agnarr’s struggles and seems to spur Gail on as the spirit continues messing with him for fun. It’s almost as though Iduna knows exactly what Gail is planning and is communicating with the spirit on a subconscious level, whispering things silently and calling to Gail as though a pet, with the spirit complying and doing as indicated.

Related: Frozen 2 Creates A Plot Hole For Queen Iduna (& Elsa)

While this scene is technically not canon, it does provide more depth to Frozen II’s story and alludes to Elsa’s powers as the Fifth Elemental Spirit being inherited from her mother. In the film, Elsa goes on a great adventure to find the source of her powers. It’s exactly what Iduna was also trying to figure out, heading to Ahtohallan to do so before she and Agnarr were swept away at sea. Frozen II also includes flashback scenes revealing Iduna was able to escape the enchanted forest and save Agnarr from the attack instigated by King Runeard of Arendelle. The deleted scene effectively expands on Iduna's story and the magic she was so clearly a part of before moving to Arendelle.

It’s worth noting that Iduna was able to rescue Agnarr with Gail’s help, of course, which suggests the spirit could’ve been, in some way, an extension of Iduna’s own powers. Perhaps Iduna’s powers only manifested when interacting with Gail, with the spirit being somewhat of a conduit for the queen’s abilities. Granted, the sequel doesn’t confirm Elsa’s powers were inherited since Iduna went in search for answers, but it’s possible the queen didn’t realize she had them to begin with. Frozen II offers more backstory regarding Iduna’s past, confirming she was originally a member of the Northuldra tribe and interacted with magic quite often. 

Considering Iduna’s heritage and closeness with the elements, the possibility she had some sort of untapped power makes sense and would go a long way to explain how Elsa’s own powers manifested and later evolved in Frozen II. It's unlikely the deleted research and development scene would have ever been included in the film, but it does shed more light on Iduna's relationship with the wind spirit and how their communication hints at the queen's potential magic. To be sure, there's probably a lot of details about Iduna that were left out of Frozen II, but the scene is an example of her influence on Elsa's powers. 

Next: Frozen Theory: Elsa’s Parents’ Death Wasn’t An Accident